Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences announced that the following students from your area earned a place on the school’s dean’s list for the fall 2012 semester: Amanda Swift of South Barre and JenniferLermond of Barre.

Local residents made the dean’s list at Bard College at Simon’s Rock for the fall semester of the 2012 academic year. The following students earned a place on the dean’s list for distinguished work overall: Simon Smith from Adamant and Pearl Weggler from Northfield.

The following students graduated from Clarkson University in December 2012: David M. Whitman of Bolton, bachelor of science in computer science; Derek Dzugas-Smith of Waterville, bachelor of science in environmental engineering, civil engineering.

The following local residents were recently named to the Northeastern University dean’s list for the fall semester, which ended in December 2012: East Montpelier resident Matthew Connor, a student majoring in industrial engineering; and Middlesex resident Daniel Thompson, a student majoring in electrical engineering.

The following local students have made the dean’s list for Franklin & Marshall College’s fall 2012 semester:

Larissa Kehne from Adamant, who is the daughter of Richard Kehne and Melanie Kehne, and is a graduate of U-32 Jr-Sr High School.

Alana Warnke from Montpelier, who is the daughter of Andrea Warnke and Geoff Brumbaugh, and is a graduate of Montpelier High School.

The following local residents have been named to Emerson College’s dean’s list for the fall 2012 semester. The criterion to make the dean’s list is a grade point average of 3.7 or higher: Calais’s Caroline Fothergill, a communication studies major; and Middlesex’s Hannah Reinish, a sound design/audio post prod major.

Students spend break globally

BURLINGTON — Early spring in Vermont is still cold and snowy, and students long to get away for spring break. With the busyness of the semester midterms just ending, and the constant consideration of the economic climate, many students are too busy to organize their own recreational vacation, so some have learned to take advantage of trips through Champlain College. From domestic community service trips to gaining a global perspective, Champlain students have countless options.

Eight students and two professors are getting ready to leave for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on Feb. 28. This trip, through the COR-330 Jordan Mojo course is similar to the China Mojo course and trip to Beijing last fall. Nearly all students in this course are taking it as an elective and are either juniors or seniors. They will be traveling with Professors Rob Williams and Miriam Horne to visit the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for 10 days.

Students will be visiting various sites including Petra, an ancient city carved out of rock, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is one of the least recognized of the seven wonders, but it is extremely well known from movies such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

A popular choice in the past few years has been the Service in Action Trips (SAT) through the Center for Service & Civic Engagement. Formerly known as Alternative Spring Break, these trips are great opportunities for students to volunteer during a time where their peers usually choose recreational vacations. Instead, these students prefer to do something productive, inspiring, educational, and immerse themselves in a different community’s culture.

This year, a group of eight students, two of which are student leaders, and two AmeriCorps Vistas currently serving in Champlain’s Center for Service Office will spend their spring break (March 2-10) in an impoverished farming community in Apopka, Fla.

Contest celebrates military kids

BARRE — Want to help spread the word about how awesome military kids are? You can, and show off your artistic talent, too, by creating an art poster for the Annual Month of the Military Child Poster Contest.

University of Vermont (UVM) Extension’s Operation: Military Kids (OMK) is sponsoring the contest, which is open to all Vermont youths, military and civilian, ages 5 to 18. The deadline to enter is March 20. Winners will be announced on April 1, the start of the Month of the Military Child.

Posters must be original artwork and fit on a 14- by 22-inch sheet of paper. You can use any medium you want, but your design must include the messages that April is the Month of the Military Child, and that children of military families serve, too. When creating your poster,keep in mind that the color purple represents all branches of military service. Only one entry per person is allowed.

You may mail your poster to Operation: Military Kids, c/o Lizzy Astrella, UVM Extension 4-H Office, 655 Spear St., Burlington, VT, 05405, or drop it off at this address during regular business hours.

Please include your name, age, home address and branch of service of your parent(s) or guardian(s) (if applicable). If you want your poster returned, be sure to include a self-addressed envelope with proper postage.

Three winners will be chosen. Prizes include one all-day adult pass for Bromley Mountain Ski Resort’s Sun Mountain Adventure Park, Peru; one all-day family pass for Shelburne Farms, Shelburne; and three riding lessons at Rhythm of the Rein Riding Center at Water Tower Farm, Marshfield.

2013 Green Student Award

The Vermont Council for Gifted Education announced the 2013 Nicholas Green Distinguished Student Award. This award is made to a student in grade 3 through 6 who has distinguished him/herself in academics, leadership, or the arts. VCGE, an affiliate of the National Association for Gifted Children is the sponsor of the award. NAGC will give the student a certificate and the parents a free membership in NAGC. For more information about Nicholas Green and the award go to http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=558

An award will be made to one Vermont student for the 2012-13 school year. The student will receive a prize from VCGE and free admission to a future On the Road Enrichment program. An essay and a letter of recommendation are required. Students may nominate themselves or be nominated by parents, teachers, students or community or civic groups.

Application packets may be requested from Alice Maurer at maurer@gmavt.net. Completed applications must be postmarked by March 31. The winner will be announced in April 15.